Local Sports

Weldon Valley girls reach major milestone

Boys still in search of first win

By Brandon Boles

Fort Morgan Times

Posted:
02/07/2018 12:55:39 PM MST

Redemption was on the mind for the Weldon Valley Warriors on Tuesday when they faced off with Arickaree/Woodlin for the second time this season. Both the boys and girls basketball teams lost heartbreakers in the Jeff Sherman Memorial, with the girls losing by three points and the boys losing by two.

In the rematch, the Weldon Valley girls would avenge the loss with a 34-29 win. As for the boys team, they got huge production from their two leading seniors but came up short 71-61.

Girls game

For the second time this season, Weldon Valley and Arickaree/Woodlin played a low-scoring, defensive battle against each other.

The Warriors opened the game with an 8-6 lead at the end of the first quarter, only to see Arickaree/Woodlin tie the game at 14 going into the half.

In what would be the only quarter with both teams scoring in double figures, Weldon Valley got a slim 12-10 advantage in the third to go back on top. From there, the Warriors held Arickaree/Woodlin to five points in the fourth quarter to maintain their narrow lead down the stretch for the win.

The win is also a huge milestone for the Warriors, who improve to 10-6 overall on the season. With 10 wins, Weldon Valley has its first season with 10 or more victories in over a decade.

Boys results

Ethan Oblander had his best shooting performance of his career on Tuesday with 31 points. Joseph Baessler also contributed in a big way with 19.

Their work would not be enough as Arickaree/Woodlin also had a big night on the offensive end to get the 10-point win.

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The offense came out firing for the Warriors early with 19 points in the first quarter to take the lead. Though Arickaree/Woodlin would get hot in the second quarter with 21 points, Weldon Valley managed to keep the lead with 14 of their own.

In the third quarter, the door opened for Arickaree/Woodlin to take the lead. Despite the success early, Weldon Valley was held to 10 points in the quarter and allowed 18 to lose its lead. They were unable to go on a run in the fourth quarter to inch their way back into position to take the lead.

The Warriors fall to 0-16 and have three chances remaining to get in the win column before the district tournament.

Remaining schedule

Two more games remain on the schedule this week for the Warriors. Both teams will travel to face the Lone Star Longhorns on Thursday for the final nonconference game of the season. On Friday, the Warriors will hit the road to face the Pawnee Coyotes in a North Central League showdown. The regular season concludes on Feb. 16 with a road game against the Peetz Bulldogs.

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